Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Equatorial Guinea and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television show in New York.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1967 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Cabaret Voltaire to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Yazoo. All the underground hits.
All Cecil Taylor tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jerry's Kids record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Panda Bear record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Doors,
Unwound,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
The J.B.'s,
Carl Craig,
The Pretty Things,
Colin Newman,
Stiv Bators,
Rotary Connection,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Neil Young,
Theoretical Girls,
Pulsallama,
Infiniti,
JFA,
K-Klass,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Marine Girls,
The Flesh Eaters,
Ossler,
Judy Mowatt,
48th St. Collective,
Robert Görl,
A Flock of Seagulls,
E-Dancer,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
the Swans,
Yaz,
Harpers Bizarre,
Joe Smooth,
Section 25,
The Fuzztones,
Liliput,
Icehouse,
Arab on Radar,
Byron Stingily,
Bill Wells,
Lou Christie,
Gang Gang Dance,
FM Einheit,
Roxette,
Amon Düül,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
DJ Sneak,
Trumans Water,
The Beau Brummels,
Delon & Dalcan,
Man Parrish,
Hasil Adkins,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Jawbox,
Sandy B,
Lightning Bolt,
Marmalade,
Patti Smith,
Black Sheep,
Banda Bassotti,
Zero Boys,
Nirvana,
Sugar Minott,
Slick Rick,
Ludus,
Livin' Joy,
Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Flash.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.